Vehicle, especially for agricultural purposes



Feb. 27 3.951 N. F. ANDREWS ET AL 5 9 VEHICLE, ESPECIALLY FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 13, 1947 frzverz iors; Marmara FArzdrews Russell Lfiwf Feb, 27, 11951 N. F. ANDREWS ETAL 2,543,310

VEHICLE, ESPECIALLY FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES Filed Nov. 13, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ira/672 ions NWFAMFQI/S Russell 5 m Patented Feho 27, 1951 VEHICLE, ESPECIALLY FOR AGRKCULTUBAL RTUBPOSES Norman F. Andrews, Moline, Ill., and Russell L. Don't, Davenport, Iowa, assignors to Deere & Company, Mollne, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application November 13, 1947, Serial No. 785,702

6 Claims. l

This invention relates to a new and improved vehicle especially adapted for agricultural purposes and is principally designed from the standpoint of providing a flexible frame to which may be attached or on which may be carried a variety of agricultural implements, and particularly implements or machines of the harvester type.

In the past a great deal of design effort has been centered on providing agricultural implements especially adapted for attachment to or mounting on tractors of existing types. In many cases the program has been eminently successful, the only disadvantage being that in many cases the use of a particular implement with a tractor is tantamount to withdrawing the tractor from use for other purposes because of the difficulty with which the implement is dismounted therefrom. In some instances the complicated nature of the implement or the means for attaching the same to or mounting the same on the tractor virtually prevents convenient disassembly of the two units, in which case the owner of the tractor and implement is compelled to provide himself with an additional tractor, obviously at considerable additional expense. In other instances the special design of the implement to adapt the same for attachment to or mounting on the tractor detracts somewhat from the efficient operation of the machine as a unit and the inefiiciency'must be disregarded as compensated fcrb ethe'desirability of operation of the tractor and .implement as a unit.

According to the present invention, it is an important object to provide an inexpensive vehicle frame which will take the place of a tractor for carrying implements. To this end, many of the expensive design features of a tractor may members serve also to carry or enclose driving means for the traction wheels of the vehicle. Arr important feature of the invention is to provide aframe that is flexible for the purpose of accommodating vertical movement of the frame components relative to each other as the wheels follow varying ground contour. In another aspect, the invention involves the mounting of a power plant and operators station on the frame in such manner as to accommodate flexing of the frame components.

Other important objects and desirable features of the invention will become apparent as the disclosure of the preferred form thereof is completely made in the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the vehicle, a portion of the implement, here shown as a corn picker, being illustrated in broken lines;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the structure shown in Figure 1, the near rear wheel being removed to more clearly illustrate the frame structure;

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 and showing a front wheel support;

Figure 4 is aplan view of the structure shown in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view, partly in section, showing the connection between a pair of frame components and the housing of part of the driving means; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view in detail showing the supporting of the change speed gear housing and related frame members.

In general, the vehicle frame chosen for the purposes of the present illustration comprises a frame including a first wheel-supported frame section ill and a second wheel-supported frame section l l. The first section may be referred to briefly as including a transverse frame member 92 and a longitudinal frame member it, the two frame members being arranged and interconnected so as to form generally a T. The frame section ill is supported at opposite ends of the member l2 for travel over the ground, preferably by means of left and right hand ground-engaging means in the form of traction wheels 84 and 15. The second frame section Il may be referred to briefly as comprising a plurality of frame members forming generally an H, including left and right hand side members It and IT and a transverse cross member $8. The front ends of the members 56 and ii are carried respectively on ground-engaging means such as steerable wheels I9 and 28', and the rear ends of the members are articulately connected to the first frame In by means including universal joints 2| and 22, respectively, each being preferably of the ball and socket type. The transverse member l8, or crossbar of this frame, serves to carry an agricultural implement, here shown as a harvester of the corn picker type comprising a four-row picker having picking units 23, 24, 25 and 28. The picking units respectively include rearwardly and upwardly inclining elevators 21, 28, 29 and 30, each of which empties into a transversely extending hopper 3! which includes a transverse auger 32 operable to convey harvested crops toward the center of the hopper 3i whereat such crops are delivered to the receiving end of a rearwardly and upwardly inclining wagon elevator 33. The vehicle is propelled by a power plant 34 carried above the frame section I and rearwardly of a longitudinally extending operator's station 35.

The foregoing will suffice for a general and brief description of the agricultural vehicle. Consideration will now be given to the detail structure of a preferred form of the invention.

The transverse member (2 of the first frame section III provides a transverse axle structure including intermediate its ends a gear housing 35, which may contain conventional gearing including differentially drven axles for the traction wheels (4 and i5. Such mechanism has not been illustrated, since it forms no specific part of the present invention. The longitudinal member I! that provides the leg of the T frame is rigidly connected at its rear end to a bottom portion of the gear casing 36 by means here shown as including a welded structural element 31 (Figure 6). The rigidity of the frame member IS with respect to the transverse member i2 is further increased by means of a pair of diagonal brace members 38 (Figures 1 and 6) rigidly secured, as by welding, at their opposite ends to the members l2 and II.

A gear housing 39 is located ahead of the gear casing 36 and is appropriately supported by pads 40 on the diagonal brace members 38. The gear casing 39 may include conventional changespeed gearing (not shown) connected in any suitable manner to the differential gearing in the casing 36 and including at its forward end a driven pulley 4|, the purpose of which will presently appear.

The power plant 34 is wholly supported on the frame section l0; that is to say, the power plant is preferably independent of any support on the frame section II. This result is accomplished in the present case by means of a power plant supporting structure 45 carried by supporting members 45 (only one of which is shown in Figure 2) on an upper portion of the gear housing 36. The supporting structure 45 extends longitudinally of the vehicle and is supported at its forward end by a'. pair of vertical supports 41 (only one of which is shown in Figure 2). The supports 41 are rigidly carried at their lower ends on the longitudinal member i3 of the T (Figure 6) and extend upwardly ahead of the power plant 34 in proximity to the operator's station 35.

The power plant 34 is here illustrated as being an internal combustion engine having a forwardly extending driving shaft 50 which may be an extension of the engine crank shaft (Figure 2) A driving pulley is keyed to the shaft 50 and a driving belt 52 is trained about the pulleys 5i and 4|, the latter having been described in connection with the change-speed gar housing 39. Driving torque developed by the power plant 54 is thus transmitted to the traction wheels l4 and I 5 for the purpose of propelling the vehicle over the ground. Inasmuch as the power plant 24 and gear casing 58 are both rigidly carried as unitary parts of the frame section Hi. there will be no variation between the shaft 50 and pulley 4i and there will thus be no increase or decrease in the length of the belt 52. The supporting of the power plant 24 wholly on the frame section in and independent of any support on the frame section i l is important from the standpoint of eliminating twisting strains on the power plant and its supporting structure resulting from relative movement between the frame sections I 0 and I I because of their articulate interconnecting means 2i and 22.

The operator's station 35 is also preferably formed as a unitary part of the frame section I 0 and in this manner, like the support of the power plant 34. will not be subject to strains set up by relative movement between the two frame sections. The supporting of the operator's station 35 is accomplished by means of a longitudinal horizontal platform 55 the rear end portion of which is carried at the upper end portions of the vertical supporting members 41 (Figure 2) and the forward portion of which is supported on a pair of rearwardly and downwardly extending supporting members 58 (Figures 1 and 2). The rear ends of the members 55 may be rigidly secured to the transverse member l2 of the frame I (I. The operator's station 35 includes, and the platform 55 carries, a seat 51 ahead of which is carried a steering wheel 58 mounted on vertical supporting structure 59 at a forward portion of the platform 55. A guard rail 60 substantially encircles the forward portion of the platform. The operating connections between the steering wheel 58 and the steerable wheels I! and 20 will be set forth below.

The following will pertain to a description of a preferred form of the H frame H. The side frame members l6 and I! are preferably in the form of torque tubes and reference thereto as such will be sometimes made hereafter. The forward end of the left hand torque tube i6 is connected in load-supporting relationship to the left hand front wheel is by a transverse yoke 60 which provides a lever arm rigidly connected at its inner end to the torque tube i6 and thus fulerums on the principal axis of the torque tube. The outer end of the yoke receives a vertical spindle 6| at the lower end of which is a stub axle 62 on which the wheel I9 is Journaled. The

forward end of the right hand torque tube i1 is similarly associated with the right hand front wheel 20 by means of a yoke 63, spindle 64 and stub axle 65.

The universal or ball and socket connections 2| and 22 between the H frame II and T frame I0 provide for articulation between the frame sections to the extent that each torque tube It or l1. if uncontrolled, would have movement with respect to the transverse member i2 about vertical, transverse and longitudinal axes. It is an important feature of the present invention that such relative movement is provided for but is controlled or stabilized. In this respect the transverse member l8 providing the crossbar of the H serves as means for cross connecting the torque tubes i6 and I1 in such manner as to prevent uncontrolled movement of the torque tubes.

As best shown in Figures 1 and 5, the transverse member I8 is preferably of tubular construction made up of a plurality of long and short sections 10 and H, respectively. These sections may be flanged, as at 12, and rigidly interconnected to provide the unitary transverse member it. The assembled member l8 includes at each of its opposite ends a relatively long coaxial bearing member 13 disposed above and resting on the proximate torque tube I6 or II (Figures 1 and 5). Since both ends-of the member l8 and the connection thereof to the torque tubes I8 and II are the same, only one side will be described, reference being had to Figure 5 for this purpose, it being understood that similar parts are provided at the opposite side of the vehicle. The torque tube I I is provided intermediate its ends with a pair of longitudinally running angle members I4 having their upper flanges lying in a common horizontal plane coincident with the uppermost element of the cylindrical surface of the member II. The members Il may be rigidly secured, as by welding at I5, to the member II. The bearing member I3 at the end of the transverse member I8 includes a flanged connection I8 with the proximate short tubular or housing section II and further provides a bearing on a transverse axis with respect to the torque tube II and its associated angle members II. The bearing between the latter mentioned components is accomplished by means of a pair of transversely spaced bearing straps II, generally of U-shape, embracing the bearing portion I8, the legs of the straps being rigidly secured at I8 to the angle members I4. Since the angle members I4 are rigidly connected to both the torque tube II and the bearing straps I1, and since the straps are rather widely spaced apart, a suitable bearing connection is provided between the torque tube II and the transverse member I8, providing, first. for rocking movement of the member I8 about its principal axis and, second, preventing rotation of the torque tube II when subjected to vertical load. The same is true of the connection at the opposite side of the vehicle. In other words, when vertical loading of the torque tube It or I! occurs because of load placed upon the vehicle or because of rise and fall of the wheels I9 and 20, the members I6 and II are prevented from rotating or twisting freely about their principal axes; instead, the torque is taken by the torque tubes themselves and reaction is through the transverse member I8. In this manner the wheels I9 and 28 are torsionally sprung and resort to complicated leaf or coil springs is eliminated. It will be further noted that the transverse member I8 and its connection to the torque tubes .I5 and II prevents lateral or "diamond d splacement of the torque tubes. At the same time the assembled member I8 is preferably constructed with suificient torsional resiliency to permit the torque tubes I8 and I I to rise and fall independently as the wheels I9 and 28 encounter varying ground contour. The rise and fall of the members It and II will, of course, be respectively about the transverse axes provided by the connections El and 22.

For the purpose of preventing vertical collapse of the frame sections I8 and II about a generally transverse axis through the connections 2I and 22, and further for the purpose of stabilizing the relative movement between the two frame sections, the forward end of the member I3 of the T frame III is connected in load-supporting relationship to an intermediate portion of the assembled member I8. The connection is so constructed and arranged as to accommodate relative vertical oscillation between the frame sections. As best shown in Figure 6, the forward end of the longitudinal member l3 of the T frame carries thereon a bearing sleeve 88. A U-shaped strap 8| embraces the intermediate portion of the member I8 and has its legs rigidly secured in longitudinally spaced relation, as by welding at 82, to the bearing sleeve 88. The connections 88-8I82 between the members I3 and I8 interconnect the frame sections I0 and II in loadtransfer relationship and at the same time provide for relative vertical oscillation of the frame sections about a generally fore and aft axis, in the present case the principal axis of the member I3. Although the vehicle frame, comprising the T and H sections, may have considerable flexibility so that the vehicle may follow varying ground contour without setting up undesirable stresses and strains, the flexibility is controlled or stabilized, thus adapting the vehicle to many purposes and uses for which the ordinary agricultural tractor would be unsuitable.

The vertical spindles 6| and 64 of the left and right hand wheels I9 and 20, respectively, carry inwardly extending steering arms 85 and 88. These arms are connected respectively by longitudinally extending drag links 81 and 88 to hell cranks 89 and 98 pivoted respectively on the inner sides of the torque tubes I8 and II. The bell cranks are in turn connected by a pair of coaxial transverse tie rod members 9| and 92 to a bell crank 93 (Figure l) keyed to the lower end of a vertical steering shaft 94 located below the operator's station 35 and forwardly of the transverse member I8 (Figures 1 and 2). The steering shaft 94 may be suitably journaled in a bearing 95 that extends forwardly from an intermediate portion of the transverse member I8. The upper end of the shaft 94 may have keyed thereto a steering arm 98 which is connected by a, longitudinally and forwardly extending link 91 to a steering arm 98 controlled by the steering wheel 58 by any suitable mechanism, the details of which have not been illustrated.

As previously stated the transverse assembled member I8 is connected to the torque tubes I6 and II in a manner providing for rocking of the member I8 about its principal axis. This feature is of considerable importance in the preferred form of the invention illustrated for the purpose of adapting the vehicle for the carrying of a wide variety of agricultural implements or machines, in the present case the member I8 carrying the corn picker. As is well known to those skilled in the art, the conventional corn picker construc I tion includes a transverse member carrying the picker units for vertical movement about a transverse axis. The particular mounting of the transverse member I8 in the present case provides such a support. In this respect it is an important object of the invention to adapt the vehicle for the carrying of conventional type implements and. accordingly, there has been illustrated a picker having conventional parts. For example, each of the units 23, 24, 25 and 26 may include the forwardly and downwardly inclining supporting structure, such as indicated at I88 in Figure 2. The rear or upper portion of this supporting structure may be suitably connected to the transverse member I8, the details of the attachin: structure having been omitted, inasmuch as a wide variety of such structural details are available to those skilled in the art and the particular mounting forms no specific part of the present invention. The mounting of the supportin' structures I89 on the transverse assembled member I8 provides for vertical movement of the picker units about the transverse axis of the member I8 and thus enables the picker units to 7 8 rise and fall in accordance with varying ground driving sprocket I24 is adapted to be connected contour. At the same time this manner of 8011- to the snapping rolls for the picker unit 22. p r ng the picker units provides for raising and The innermost right hand gear assembly has l werin the pi k r un ts tw w rk and its sprocket I24 connected by means of a sprocket transport positions. The means in the Pr and chain connection I20 to the forward end of case for accomplishing raising and lowering of the snapping roll drive shaft H8 at the right the picker u ts s s wn as including a ha d hand side of the operator's station 35. Power lever IOI carried on the operators platform 55 is thus transferred from the shaft II5 to the and a pu ey and cable connection o a transshaft Ill and thence to the outermost right verse member in the form of a pipe I03 that in- 10 hand sprocket I24, the latter being connected terconnects the picker units 23, 24, 25 and 26. t th snapping 11; t shown) for t right Here again, the details of the raising an l w rhand outermost picker unit 28. It will be uni means form no specific part of the pres nt derstood in each case that the outermost left invention, and that means illustrated is only rephand and right hand sprockets I24 are connectresentative of many types of similar means that 15 d t th i proximate snapping 11 by means could be utilized, the purpose of the illustration, of sprocket and chain connections similar to like the illustration of the steering mechanism, th desc ib t I11 a d I", being only to demonstrate the desirable location Inasm a th shafts I25 r o xia with of the operator's station and the flexibility thereof the assembled transverse member I0 and are in enabli the p ra r t c tr l the v h l enclosed within the sections 10 and II thereof. mounted implement. there will be no undesirable variations in the The power plant 34 provides, in addition to drivin connections as the picker units 23. 24, means for propelling the vehicle, a power-source and 26 rise and fall in response to varying for driving movable or drivable parts of the imground contour. The location of the shaft I25 plement or machine. In the present illustration 25 on the axis of the assembled member I 8 is imof the generally conventional picker, each picker portant from the standpoint just referred to unit may include a plurality of snapping rolls, and is further important from the standpoint such as those indicated at I05 in Figure 2. of providing an enclosure for the shaft and the The power source in the present case includes associated bevel pinions I 23 and I28. Further a further forward extension of the power shaft 30 than this, the illustration is rather schematic, 50 and this extension has keyed thereto a pair inasmuch as the connections to the snapping of driving sprockets I06 and I0! (Figures 1 and rolls, for example, form no specific part of the 2). There is provided at the left hand side of present invention and many variations of such the operator's station a longitudinal shaft I08 drive connections are well known to those skilled suitably carried, as at I09, in bearings on the 55 inthe art. supporting structure 45 and 56. The shaft I00 The preferred example of the invention illusis driven by means of a sprocket and chain contrated and described will indicate the several nection III! by a forward sprocket I01 on the features and objects of the invention, such as power shaft 50. The forward end of the shaft flexibility of the frame sections during opera- I08, thus rotated, is connected to a forwardly 40 tion, the mo nting of the operator's station and and downwardly inclining shaft II I the forward Power Pla t driving m h sm for the veend of which may be connected in any convenhicle and the drivable implement part, and the tional manner to the snapping rolls for the picker general adaptability and econom of the vehicle unit 24. in use and manufacture. Various other features The supporting structure -56 carries at the 45 will d ubtedly occur to those skilled in the right hand side of the power plant and operart, as will various modifications and alteraators station a longitudinal shaft 5 similar to ions in the preferred structure illustrated. It the shaft I08 previously described. The supports. therefOIe, not desired to limit the invention ll'lg structure 45-50 may be provided with bearby th precise details set forth. in s IIG for the purpose of journaling the shaft e claim: 5 This shaft 15 drivingly associated t t l. A vehicle. comprising a first frame section sprocket I05 on the power shaft 50 by means of having frame members providing a T wherein a sprocket and chain connection II! and is fure crossbar and le are ri dly nterconnected they connected t t forward end t a forwardly and the former extends transversely and the latand downwardly inclining drive shaft II 8, which ter longitudinally of he Vehicle; means l is similar to the driving shaft III previously depor in the crossbar for travel on the ground; b a second frame section in the form of an H Each of the short sections 1| of the assembled wherein the s of he H are rq e tu s and transverse member l8 comprises a gear housing, the crossbar 0f the H 18 connected o the 88 y indicated generally by the numeral I20, and best 00 ans providing for both vertical and torsional shown in Figure 5 as including power take-off l ing of the latter, said means further promeans in the form of a short forwardly extendv z f r r c n of said cr ssbar en rally ing shaft m journaled at I22 and having keyed a ut ts p i l axis with respe t to said l ss: to opposite ends, respectively, a bevel gear I22 11188118 l y n ct n one end of each and a sprocket I24. The bevel gears m of each as leg of the H to the cr ss ar of the T: m ans supadjacent pair of gear housings I20 are drivingly p r in h o her ends of the l s of he H on interconnected by a shaft I25 having at its oplle round for travel thereover: and means arposite ends bevel pinions I25. The sprocket I24 ticulately connecting the leg of the T in vertical of the gear assembl next adjacent the left hand load-suppor r l i to th crossbar of drivin shaft III is connected to the driving the H. shaft III by means of a sprocket and chain 2. A vehicle, comprising a first frame section connection I21 and in thi manner drive is carhaving frame members providing a T wherein ried from the left hand driving shaft I08. the crossbar and leg are rigidly interconnected through the shaft III and thence to the outerand the former extends transversely and the latmost left hand gear housing I20, wherein the II ter longitudinally of the vehicle; means including a traction element supporting the crossbar for travel on the ground; a second frame section in the form of an H wherein the legs of the H are torque tubes and the crossbar of the H is connected to the legs by means providing for both vertical and torsional loading of the latter; means articulately connecting one end of each leg of the H to the crossbar of the T; means supporting the other ends of the legs of the H on the ground for travel thereover; means including a pivot on a longitudinal axis connecting the leg of the T in vertical load-supporting relation to the crossbar of the H; said leg of the T being rigid throughout its length and said pivot being rigid with said leg to prevent the imposition of twisting loads on the crossbar of the H because of torque developed by the traction element.

3. An agricultural vehicle, comprising a T frame section and an H frame section arranged with the crossbar of the T and H generally in parallelism transversely of the vehicle and wherein the crossbar of the H includes a housing portion, and with the legs of the T and H generally in parallelism longitudinally of the vehicle; means interconnecting the leg of the T and the crossbar of the H; means interconnecting the crossbar of the T and each leg of the H; means carrying the H frame section for travel over the ground; means carrying the T frame section for travel over the ground; a power source on at least one of the frame sections; power takeoff means in the housing and including a power output part projecting outside the housing; and driving means connected between the power source and the power take-off means and having a driving part entering the housing and connected to the power take-off means.

4. A vehicle, comprising: a frame including a first frame section having a transverse member carried at its opposite end portions for travel on the ground; a second frame section including a pair of laterally spaced fore and aft extending members, one end portion of each of which is proximate to said transverse member and the opposite end portion of each of which is remote from said transverse member; means including universal joint connections respectively connecting said proximate end portions of the fore and aft members to the transverse member providing for rise and fall of the fore and aft members relative to the transverse member, means respectively at the remote end portions of the fore and aft members for carrying said members for travel on the ground, said means including load-supporting connections tending to twist said fore and aft members respectively about their principal axes; a second transverse member between the fore and aft members; means respectively connecting opposite end portions of said second transverse member to the fore and aft members to resist twisting of the latter; and

a structural member connected between said first and second transverse members for stabilizing the second transverse member and the fore and aft members both laterally and vertically.

5. The invention set forth in claim 4, further characterized in that: the structural member is rigidly connected to one transverse member and the connection thereof to the other transverse member includes a pivot generally on a fore and aft axis.

6. A vehicle, comprising: a first frame section generally in the form of a T wherein the crossbar of the T provides a transverse member having wheel means at opposite ends thereof, and the leg of the T provides a fore and aft extending member rigidly connected to the transverse member; a second frame section generally in the 20 form of an H wherein the legs of the H provide a pair of laterally spaced, fore and aft extending frame bars and the crossbar of the H provides a transverse member generally paralleling and spaced longitudinally from the transverse member of the T; means articulately connecting 0pposite end portions of the crossbar of the H respectively to the legs of the H\to provide a pivot generally on the principal axis of said crossbar of the H; means articulately connecting one end of each frame bar to the transverse member of the T; wheel means respectively supporting the other ends of said frame bars; and means connecting the fore and aft member of the T to the transverse member of the H intermediate the ends of the latter and in substantial vertical alinement with the aforesaid transverse pivot, and constructed and arranged to stabilize the frame sections both laterally and vertically and at the same time to provide for vertical oscillation of one frame section with respect to the other about a substantially fore and aft axis.

NORMAN F. ANDREWS. RUSSELL L. DORT.

REFERENCES CITED I The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

